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User blog:Cfp3157/Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Review: A Well-Made and Compelling Action Adventure
Star Wars revolutionized the entire movie industry from a marketing and blockbuster standpoint. The Empire Strikes Back has been regarded as the greatest sequel of all-time. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace proved that a beloved franchise could be genuinely terrible. Face it; these films in a galaxy far, far away tend to make history. And this year's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story replaces that classic cinematic magic with a grittier, more grounded approach and gives viewers a new look into a well-known story. The Cast Rogue One: A Star Wars Story features an ensemble cast of some of the most talented under-the-radar actors and actresses ever assembled, but utilizes them in an incredibly disappointing and poor way. The primary character is Jyn Erso, a smuggler, criminal, and general misfit. She is played with a fiery determination by Felicity Jones. Jones manages to inject Jyn with enough energy and mischievous aura to elevate the character above the writing. In a supporting cast, the Rebel Alliance's newest little gallery includes Diego Luna as no-nonsense Rebel officer Cassian Andor, Donnie Yen as the wise-minded and wise-cracking Chirrut, Alan Tudyk as the snarky KS20, Riz Ahmed as the Imperial defector Bodhi, and Jiang Wen as mercenary Baze Malbus. Diego Luna and Riz Ahmed are immensely wasted, both sleepwalking their way through flat characters beneath their talent. Jiang Wen is sort of just there as well, while Donnie Yen and Tudyk each stand out by elevating their characters on sheer charisma alone. Meanwhile, the villains of the story aren't much better- Ben Mendelsohn is wasted as Orson Krennic, an Imperial officer and figurehead of the Death Star, as is Mads Mikkelsen as its principal engineer. Both men are immensely talented, so it's sad seeing them both perform mediocreley in such bland parts. The latter does try slightly more, but overall it's just fine. Forest Whitaker is also wasted, reduced to a five minute at most cameo, but he does his part aptly. James Earl Jones gets to voice Darth Vader in a brief scene, but his work is still as phenomenal as it was in the original trilogy. Score: 3 out of 5 The Script There's two sides one can take with this script, and each is vastly different than the other. One could talk about the characterizations and the various leaps of logic required to embrace the story, but they could also talk about the incredibly pacing and plot being told that elevates those mistakes. The former is the biggest complaint about the film, even if it isn't the most unlikeable. Aside from the main heroine Jyn Erso, every single character in this film is a very standard and generic archetype that has been established in fiction before. These characters are given some very interesting and powerful lines from the script, but they also don't have enough levity and force for viewers to feel any emotional stakes from them. For the sake of spoilers, I can't talk about my personal biggest gripe of the film, but I'll just say it's things we've seen lesser franchises do. However, the film does pick up significantly when it comes to the script itself. The dialogue feels very organic and natural, with several moments of genuine humor shining. There are also moments of dramatic tension, while the plot is brisk and well-paced. While the first twenty or so minutes are a juggling act of character introductions, it's handled rather well all things considered. The story also has a much darker tone, which benefits the overall plot to try and give some gravitase to the film. Score: 3 out of 5 The Direction Now this is where the film picks up most of its slack- on a technical level, Rogue One stands almost unrivaled in the entire saga. First off, the biggest takeaway is the excellent editing team, who manage to juggle various moving parts into an incredibly entertaining whole. The cinematography and visual effects are both top-notch, with exotic planets as fantastical battlefields filling the screen with great skill. Giacchino's score is also excellent, with it both paying homage to the original trilogy while completely setting itself apart from the franchise before it. The soundwork immerses viewers in the battlefield, while large war machines like the AT-AT and the X-Wings being shown in impressive and daunting scale. The CGI is also up-to-par, with a finale that keeps the built-up energy over the film exploding visually and audibly on the screen. Darth Vader, Bail Organa, Moff Tarkin, and Mon Mothma are all brought back to life with rich clarity, while the costumes and aliens of this galaxy being impressively honed in on to capture a world at war. Score: 4 out of 5 Verdict Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was an interesting experiment. Although the characters are fun and the directorial work is great on a technical level, the story is also lacking in interesting characters that will pull viewers in. The stakes simply aren't felt, but they are expressly shown all the same. Overall, I can recommend this to anybody searching for a fun time at the movies, but Rogue One: A Star Wars Story isn't going to stick out as great. It'll just have to settle for good. Final Score: 67% Deserved Nominations: *Best Visual Effects *Best Original Score *Best Editing *Best Cinematography Category:Blog posts Category:Reviews Category:2016 Reviews